The 15 Most Infamous Criminal Cars In History

The one thing that all criminals must have to obtain proper criminal status is a getaway vehicle. A good getaway car is hard to come by for some, while for others it's as easy as renting a Ryder truck. Some of the most famous criminals in the world spent lots of effort trying to protect themselves by adding security and other features to their vehicles. One, in particular, took the seats of his car for a bone-chilling purpose. The following fifteen vehicles tell stories as creepy as the criminals who drove them.

15. 1963 Ford Lotus Cortina

Bruce Reynolds shocked the world when he used a Ford Lotus Cortina as his getaway vehicle during the 1963 Great Train Robbery, which resulted in a seven million dollar heist. While the rest of the gang used Land Rovers as their ride of choice, Reynolds picked the correct vehicle as he was one of the few to escape. He was eventually caught trying to leave the country and served ten years in prison, but not before giving the Lotus Cortina the credit it deserved as a criminal worthy set of wheels.

14. 1966 Chevrolet Impala

In 1966, the Chevrolet Impala sold more than a million units, making it one of the most popular choices in the world. Because of its success, the Impala caught the eye of the notorious Zodiac Killer, who drove around in one while searching for his next victim. In a letter he wrote to police, the Zodiac Killer took the lives of thirty-seven people although only seven have been proven to be his. Due to the popularity of the car in North America, reports came flooding into the police department with alleged sightings of his Impala.

13. 1934 Citroën Traction Avant

Reports regarding the 1934 Citroën Traction Avant indicated that it handled better than any other car on the market. It was also a beautiful piece of machinery, making it the ride of choice for both the French Mafia and Hitler’s Gestapo. Albeit impressive, the Avant was a pricey car that drove Citroën into bankruptcy. In 1934, Michelin took over the Citroën vehicles, and they began to appear in numerous gangster films, including the James Bond favorite, From Russia With Love.

12. 1920 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost

The price of a 1920 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost was approximately fourteen thousand dollars, which seems a bit low by today’s standards, but it was the equivalent price of fifty Model Ts. Still, it was no problem for Enoch "Nucky" Johnson, who reportedly made five million dollars a day from his supposed gambling, prostitution and bootlegging operation. Johnson, who was the inspiration for HBO’s hit television show Boardwalk Empire, also reportedly rolled around in suits with a similar price tag.

11. 1928 Cadillac Sedan

Notorious gangster Al Capone reportedly installed three thousand pounds of steel armor plating his 1928 Cadillac Sedan along with a one-inch thick bulletproof glass. It's been reported that President Roosevelt used the car after the Pearl Harbor bombings. The last time the vehicle was seen was in 2010 after the current owner, Texas resident John Quinn, put it up for sale but ended up keeping it. A second authentic and identical vehicle popped up in Britain, where rumors claim Capone had this one buried in a safe spot as a backup.

10. 1911 Gräf & Stift Double Phaeton

Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination was credited for setting off the events that eventually lead to World War I. Gavrilo Princip, the gunman who shot Ferdinand in the neck, was driving in a 1911 Gräf & Stift Double Phaeton. He also took out the archduke’s wife when a bullet hit her in the abdomen. Princip was the second person who tried to kill Ferdinand that day; the first attempt included a grenade that had been thrown at the car but bounced off.

9. 1935 Mercedes 770K Limousine

Adolph Hitler did not know how to drive, so he preferred to be driven around in a 1935 Mercedes 770K Limousine, because of its commanding presence. He had all of his limousines fitted with armor-plating that made the weight of each around five tons and caused them to get about three miles to the gallon, which explains why Germany invaded Romania for their oil. The vehicles also had a mine-proof floor and bulletproof glass that was four cementers thick. Russian collector Dmitry Lomakov owns six known Hitler limos today and claims that buying a Nazi car is like giving Hitler the middle finger.

8. Ford Model 730 Deluxe Sedan

Bonnie and Clyde, the infamous robbery duo, were best-known for their two-year and twenty-five hundred mile robbery spree in a Ford Model 730 Deluxe Sedan. The couple and their car were caught in May of 1934 after they were ambushed by police, who shot more than one hundred rounds into the side of their vehicle. The car is reportedly one of the most popular tourist traps in America from people who claim to have the original vehicle.

7. 1996 BMW 750iL

In 1996, Suge Knight was driving legendary rapper, Tupac Shakur, home from the Mike Tyson versus Bruce Seldom fight in Las Vegas in his 1996 BMW 750iL. Before leaving, Knight and Shakur got into an altercation with Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson - a member of an opposing gang - who then got into another argument with one of Shakur’s fellow Death Row members. A white Cadillac pulled up next to Knight and Shakur and opened fire. Shakur was hit in the lungs, thigh, chest, and pelvis, and later died of his wounds. This attack would go down as one of the most infamous hits carried out in the USA and has influenced an entire generation of music, as well as conspiracy theories.

6. 1993 Ford Bronco

Former professional football player O.J. Simpson became a person of interest when his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were found stabbed to death outside of her Los Angeles condominium. Instead of turning himself in, Simpson set out on a low-speed chase in his 1993 Ford Bronco. It was one of the most widely watched events in American history and an estimated one hundred million people tuned in to see the results of his verdict announcement. The Bronco is reportedly available to rent for parties.

5. 1990 Chevrolet Caprice

In 2002, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo wreaked havoc throughout Maryland and Virginia. The two men drilled holes through the trunk of a 1990 Chevrolet Caprice and used sniper rifles to shoot at innocent people in the street. The pair were able to escape the police for more than a month thanks to a false tip that the shooters were in a white van. Because of this, they were even pulled over several times and released. Both were finally arrested when they were found sleeping in their car at a rest stop.

4. 1968 Volkswagen Beetle

American serial killer Ted Bundy reportedly took the seats in his 1968 Volkswagen Beetle out to fit the bodies of his victims. In January of 1974, he began killing one person per month and continued this spree until his Beetle was pulled over in August of 1975. Police found a crowbar, an ice pick, handcuffs, masks made of pantyhose, and gloves in his vehicle along with hair that matched his victims. After escaping custody twice, he stole another Volkswagen Beetle and began another murder spree before being caught and ultimately executed.

3. 1933 Essex Terraplane

John Dillinger was known for evading police by speeding away in his 1933 Essex Terraplane. He famously took police on a twelve month and quarter million dollar robbery spree. In 1934, Dillinger found himself in a shootout with police, and after being shot in the leg, he crashed his car into a tree and fled the scene only to be gunned down in Chicago alleyway after police were tipped off by his landlady.

2. 1961 Lincoln 74A

In November of 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a 1961 Lincoln 74A and the event remains one of the most famous assassinations in an automobile to this day. The car had been modified by Ford’s Advanced Vehicles Ground and was code-named the “SS-100-X.” Even though the government put about two hundred thousand dollars worth of work into it, not one part of the car was bulletproof. After the assassination, it remained in the government’s service but was given a hard top and bulletproof glass. While this car was on the receiving end of the crime this time, the bootlegging legacy of the Kennedy family keeps this criminal car firmly in the grey zone.

1. Ryder Truck

While not as flashy as some of the other cars on this list, Timothy McVeigh used a Ryder Truck to haul a combination of diesel fuel, agricultural fertilizer, and other deadly chemicals to kill almost one hundred and seventy people in the Oklahoma bombing. McVeigh was pulled over approximately ninety minutes after the explosion by an Oklahoma State Trooper who noticed the vehicle was missing a license plate. Before declaring the case closed and bringing McVeigh to justice, the FBI reportedly conducted twenty-eight thousand interviews.